Mines...


Milwaukee Road 113

Milwaukee Road 113

Milwaukee Road addict...
Going through some bits and bobs on my computer and came across this....have no idea when, where, who or what, but it does look like a mine to me and looking at the cars...early to mid '50s maybe? :confused:

lw_zpsr9m0s49d.jpg
 
Judging from the vehicles, a late 1950s photo of a coal mine's loading facilities. Where the photo was taken is another question; any idea who the photographer is?
 
Yes for age of the photo. That most identifiable vehicle in the lower left is a 1948 or 1949 Ford.

But as to what it is. I cannot tell the scale of the trains across the top. Is that standard gauge or are those mining size? It is obvious the train across the trestle is dumping stuff into the huge hopper. It is then taken into the building and processed somehow to be put into the train cars on the tracks in the lower. What is the processing becomes the question. It looks too big and complicated to simply be coal sorting. Some other ore that is being stamped and reduced somehow? What is that open rectangular structure in the very center that would be over the 4th or 5th track? A gantry crane?
 
Still trying to find it, but so far....no luck!
Where is it, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia or some other place out further west?
Is it coal or is it ore...?

This is frustrating! lol
 
I'm thinking eastern U.S. and not the western or Midwestern U.S. The train on the trestle is most likely mining cars, bringing the coal up from the mine. These facilities are for an underground mine.

While I'm not certain, I think the upside down triangle is part of a breaker. The entire facility looks like a combined breaker and loader from the track arrangement. The breaker would take the different sized chunks and make them more uniform, and also allow the coal to be classified into the different types. The steam and smoke are from the power plant.
 
Early post WW2 I would say. A couple of Jeeps and a 42-48 shape Ford V8 wagon. The wagon looks the newest.
 
kjd said:
Google's image search is pretty amazing:
Click to expand...
What did you search to find that?

If I interpret the photos correctly this would then be the Blue Diamond Coal at Leatherwood Kentucky. The 1962 aerial photo from the other side looks about the same. The Google street view camera car did not run up that road. sigh.
 
I think that dark object on the left is a steam locomotive. You can barely see the outline of the track under it and the smoke is centered over it. The lack of clarity is annoying, I could swear those were modern jeeps.
 
The left most Jeep appears to still have it's wartime canvas top on it, the bows are plainly visible. Over by the tracks, the 2nd truck I'm sure is a 42+ Chev with the teardrop headlights mounted on top of the guards.
 
Milwaukee Road 113...GREAT link! I had been doing some research for my layout, which includes a coal mine in Windber, PA...that link was very helpful and I wanted to say thanks.
 
And here's me thinking Hazard was fictitious and the home of the Dooks and Boss Hawg. Yeeehaaaaa!!
 
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